• Created on 9/5/11 by Peggy O'Mara

I got an email recently from Laura Maxson, an old La Leche League (LLL) friend, who has been instrumental for decades in breastfeeding support and homebirth advocacy in Santa Cruz County, California. I first met Laura in the 90s at a LLL conference in California organized by Janacki Costello and Barbara Emmanuel, and all three are consultants on a new breastfeeding film, BabyBabyOhBaby: Nurturing Your Brilliant and Beautiful Baby Through Breastfeeding. The film received a standing ovation at a recent International Lactation Consultants Association (ILCA)... read more

• Created on 9/4/11 by Peggy O'Mara

I always associate Labor Day with BBQs and family gatherings. I never before knew its origins. When I wrote the blog on Holistic Moms and UNITE HERE (see below), I ordered From the Folks Who Brought You the Wekend: A Short Illustrated History of Labor in United States. According to the book, 18,000 US strikes were held  between 1881 and 1897 for higher wages, the eight-hour day, and union recognition, among other goals. In September 1882, the Central Labor Union in New York City, one of the national craft unions affiliated with the Federation of Organized Trades and... read more

• Created on 8/31/11 by Peggy O'Mara

We all know that the middle meal of the day is important. In my mother’s family it was the most important meal of the day, called dinner not lunch, a common practice among midwestern farmers. Supper was the evening meal. We all want to make sure that our children have a healthy lunch. Here are some ideas to make it easier to figure out how to do that. Make a list over the weekend of five school lunches for the upcoming week. You won’t have to think about it in the mornings then. Use some of the suggestions below. Create or buy a reusable lunch container, lunch kit, or... read more

• Created on 8/30/11 by Peggy O'Mara

As a young mother, I was always looking for balance. I thought that balance was something I could create, should create, in my home and believed it to be within my control. Over the years I’ve learned that the only thing I can control is myself, and I’m not always successful at that. That’s why I’ve been so attracted to meditation and mindfulness, practices that help me to keep an inner balance Meditation and mindfulness are not the same, though they compliment one another. I had a note on my bulletin board for years that said, “Meditate” and I could never find the 10... read more

• Created on 8/27/11 by Peggy O'Mara

Fortunately, I have never had to evacuate during a natural disaster though I came close this summer when one of the New Mexico wildfires burned less than 10 miles from my home. I did, however, have to consider what I would take with me if I had to leave the house suddenly and concluded that the only things irreplaceable were the family photographs. Photos were also one of the Four Ps evacuation experts suggested we take during our fire season this year: Photos, Papers, Pets, and Prescriptions. If you’re the mom of a baby, an emergency is a time when you are especially... read more

• Created on 8/24/11 by Peggy O'Mara

One of our most popular forums on Mothering.com is called Frugality and Finances. The forum hosts literally hundreds of threads, such as “Torn between frugality and organics when grocery shopping,” and “When to apply for food assistance.” “If Groceries are a priority where do you cut back?” When it comes to groceries, there are ways to be frugal without sacrificing quality. Food is one of the top items in our budgets and it’s easy to spend too much. As a new mom, I lived in the country and went grocery shopping only once a week, a habit I’ve continued to this day. I... read more

• Created on 8/22/11 by Peggy O'Mara

Labor unions were commonplace when I grew up. Four of my uncles were union members and both of my grandfathers were union organizers. In my generation and that of my uncles and grandparents, labor disputes and worker’s rights were covered extensively in the newspapers and most newspapers had at least one full-time labor reporter. However, media coverage of labor issues has declined as membership in unions declined. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2010, only 11.9 percent of workers (14.7 million) were union members, down from 12.3 percent in 2009. The... read more

• Created on 8/20/11 by Peggy O'Mara

For years I’ve been wanting to blog more frequently on mothering.com, but I couldn’t find the time. I felt like I was making excuses for myself when the truth is that I really couldn’t do it until now. The time is finally right. It’s the same for a lot of things, mushrooms, for example. A couple of days ago I saw an unusual group of mushrooms growing on the ground outside beside a daylily; it looked to be part of a small pile of dung. Today I noticed a delicate yellow-white mushroom growing in the soil of one of the plants in the sunroom. It’s been raining more in the... read more

• Created on 4/20/11 by Peggy O'Mara

Yesterday, I got an email from Melinda Olson at Earth Mama Angel Baby (EMAB). She was outraged at a warning from Facebook that one of the breastfeeding photos on the EMAB page violated their terms of use, which prohibit nudity. We’ve heard this same story over and over again from breastfeeding mothers, and in fact, there have already been several Facebook uprisings about this policy and even demonstrations at Facebook headquarters in downtown Palo Alto, California. It’s unfortunate that Facebook does not have the courage to change their policy and recognize... read more

• Created on 4/16/11 by Peggy O'Mara

A ridiculous media storm has erupted over the innocent act of painting a child’s toenails. All young children, boys and girls alike, want their nails colored. It looks pretty. Congratulations to J. Crew for illustrating normal childhood. The early years of childhood are an enchanted time of imagination. The child’s job is to play, to imitate, to pretend to be everyone. The child’s job is not to fit into rigid gender expectations. That comes later. That comes when the hormones of puberty kick in. Before that, the sexual identity of a child is fluid. I have four adult... read more